


Broken Hearts and Sleepless Nights

by chvotic



Series: Bad Things Happen [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Bullying, Crying, Emotional Hurt, Father-Son Relationship, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Maybe - Freeform, Minor mentions of suicidal themes, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Out of Character, POV Multiple, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Poor Peter Parker, Post-Break Up, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Self Confidence Issues, Sleep Deprivation, Supportive May Parker (Spider-Man), Swearing, Teddy Bears, Teenage Drama, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, Worried Tony Stark, minor mentions of sex, nothing too bad though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25164937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvotic/pseuds/chvotic
Summary: Then, completely out of the blue, Peter pulled away and abruptly choked on a sob. Tony paused for an entire ten seconds, a little shocked at the outburst, and just watched as Peter buried his face in his hands.“Oh, buddy.” Tony cooed quietly and placed a cautious hand on Peter’s shoulder. “What’s bothering you, huh?”OrPeter goes through his first break up, along with the added stress of school, bullies and nightmares.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Bad Things Happen [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813579
Comments: 15
Kudos: 292





	Broken Hearts and Sleepless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> **PROMPT - Sleep Deprivation/Insomnia**
> 
> **read tags!**  
>  warning for minor mentions of suicidal themes, however it's nothing graphic at all. <3
> 
> i'm sort of proud of this i think, but i don't know how people will react. idk how this got to almost 10k words, it got away from me haha. i was also pretty sleep deprived, which is fitting. 
> 
> as usual, post homecoming and pre-infinity war with a few changes in between to fit the storyline
> 
> i really hope you guys enjoy <3

Peter was in a good mood.

“Hey MJ.” Peter said as he approached his girlfriend, who had been at her locker with Betty. Both girls looked look up at his arrival, and Peter’s smile faltered a little when he saw the expressions on their faces. Stopping short of kissing Michelle on the cheek like he usually would, he sent them a questioning glance instead. “Um… Is everything okay?”

Betty eyed him in a way that made him incredibly nervous. It was a look filled with pity, though Peter had no idea why she would be looking at him like that. Most of the time, Betty never showed him the light of day unless he was needed for something Michelle related, or he needed something from her, also always Michelle related.

“Hey Peter.” Michelle smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes as it usually did. That alone made the smile drop from his face completely.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked.

“Yeah.” She turned and grabbed a textbook from her locker, and at the same time, the smile dropped from her face as well. When she turned back to him, she looked sadder than she had a moment ago. “I- um, I need to talk to you. Can we talk at lunch?”

“Yeah, of course.” Peter tried not to let his worry show, but it was hard. Betty continued to look at him with that annoying, sympathetic stare. “Um… I’ll see you later then?”

Michelle nodded, and together, she and Betty left. Peter watched them leave, the two talking in hushed whispers as they weaved through the crowd of students that rushed to their next classes. Peter could have probably heard what they were talking about if he tried hard enough, but he always told himself he wouldn’t invade Michelle’s privacy.

With a slump to his shoulders, Peter turned in the opposite direction and headed for Physics class. Ned was already there, and as per usual, the boy greeted him with a genuine smile. Peter could barely return it through the worry for what Michelle had to talk to him about.

“Are you okay, dude?” Ned asked the moment he sat down, observant as ever.

“MJ’s acting weird.” Peter began as he tried not to let the worry consume him. “She said she wants to talk to me about something at lunch.”

“Talk about what?” Ned’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.” Peter sighed pulled out his books and pencil case. He took a pen into his hand and began to fiddle with it. “She seemed upset about something, it was really weird, dude.”

“Did something happen?” Ned asked after a short period of silence. Students still streamed into the room; the teacher not yet present. Peter tapped his pen against the desk.

“I don’t know.” Peter sighed, defeated. “I guess I’ll have to wait until lunch to find out. She hasn’t really been answering my texts either.”

“I hope everything’s okay.” His best friend’s voice lowered with seriousness.

Before either of them could say more, Ms. Warren clambered into the room and was already yelling instructions. Happy for the distraction, Peter settled into the class as much as he could and tried to keep his nervous fidgeting to a minimum. The hour passed surprisingly quickly, and next up was Gym.

Michelle was avoiding him.

She didn’t even look at him or Ned when they walked in, so they didn’t go over to her like they usually would. Michelle avoided eye contact with him and stuck with Betty, who continued to give him those stupid stares from across the gymnasium. Michelle’s odd behaviour didn’t fail to make Peter worried, which led him to begin to wonder if he’d done something wrong without realising.

As he did sit ups with Ned, Peter wracked his memory for any time he might have offended Michelle without meaning to. In the last few days, they hadn’t really seen each other much during school, and had mostly been texting in after school hours. Midterms were coming up, which was stressing everybody out, and it had been the reason for Peter and Michelle’s lack of interactions in the last few days.

_Right?_

The more he thought about it, the more paranoid he became.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” Ned tried to reassure him, but even he had noticed the weird behaviour from his other friend. Every now and then, Peter would see Ned look over to where Michelle actually did sit ups with Betty, instead of reading her book beside them like usual. They seemed to be in the middle of an intense conversation, like they had been every time Peter had seen them today. It took everything in him notto listen. “It’ll be okay, man. Whatever it is you guys will work it out. You always do.”

Peter chewed on his lip and tried not to look Michelle’s direction. “We’ve never really… had a _fight_. This isn’t one, is it?”

Ned shrugged unhelpfully, and Peter sighed.

“Nice form, Parker.” Coach Wilson said as he walked past. Peter acknowledged him with a sheepish smile as always when he was complimented during Gym class, then turned back to Ned and his internal worry.

Unlike Physics, Gym passed incredibly slow. With the occasional comment from Flash and praise from Coach Wilson, the hour seemed to drag out forever. When it was over, Peter finally caught Michelle’s eye. She offered a small, weak smile, though she seemed tense. It was rare to see Michelle so… nervous? Scared?

As quickly as he could, Peter got changed out of his gym clothes and back into his regular clothes. Without as much as a goodbye to Ned, Peter rushed out of the locker room, senses tingling when Flash stuck a foot out to trip him. Without hesitation, Peter hopped over the bully’s foot without looking and exited the locker rooms. There was a yell behind him, but he ignored it all as he stumbled into the clear air of the school corridor.

Michelle was waiting for him outside.

Puffing, Peter quickly composed himself as he offered a genuine smile. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Michelle avoided his eye yet again. Peter felt awkward.

“What did you… what did you want to talk about?” Peter asked nervously and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Can you come outside?” Peter nodded.

Together, they made their way out of the school, hands in pockets. Before he knew it, they headed over to the tree they usually sat at during their lunch times alone. As they sat down, Peter wanted to reach out and hold her hand, but it seemed that Michelle purposely held her own hand in front of her and out of his reach.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asked, trying not to sweat as he changed the direction of their conversation. The tense and awkward air that hung around them was killing him. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

Michelle finally met his eye, and Peter was surprised to see tears in hers. Immediately he went into protective-mode, ready to kill whoever had made her cry, but before he could even open his mouth, Michelle spoke.

“Nothing happened. I’m sorry.” She shook her head a few times, as if she didn’t want to say the words. Or, that she didn’t know howto say the words. “I- uh, I- I can’t do this anymore.”

Peter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Do what?”

Michelle gestured between them with a shaking hand. “This. Us.”

It took a moment for the message to make it to Peter’s head.

It felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

None of them said anything for a while as Peter processed her words. Michelle wiped her eyes, hands trembling. He desperately wanted to hold them.

“Did I- did I do something?” Peter asked, his voice coming out quieter than intended.

Michelle inhaled in a deep, shaky breath. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Peter.”

“Then what is it?” It felt like something was lodged in his throat. He swallowed, eyes beginning to burn with the reality of the situation. He looked at his girlfriend, who now looked at the grass with a few tears rolling down her cheeks. It was the first time Peter had _really_ seen her cry. “Whatever it is, we can fix it, right?”

“I’m sorry.” Michelle wiped her face again. “I just- I don’t- I don’t think I have f-feelings for you anymore. I’m so s-sorry, I don’t know how else to tell you I- I thought it was all in my head.”

“Oh.” Peter’s tone wavered dangerously. His voice sounded waytoo small and hurt.

Peter’s gaze dropped to his lap. Another awkward silence settled around them, Peter honestly unable to comprehend that he was going through his first breakup right now. The words I don’t think I have feelings for you anymoreechoed around his mind as he tried to think of something to say.

“I’m sorry.” Michelle whispered again. “I should’ve told you s-sooner, but I c-couldn’t.”

“How long?” Peter asked.

“A few… a few weeks.”

“Oh.”

Another awkward silence.

Then, Peter stood. “It’s okay.” _It wasn’t okay._ “I understand.” _He didn’t._

“Peter-”

“No, it’s o-okay.” Peter looked down at her, dangerously close to crying himself. Michelle hadn’t gotten to her feet yet, still leant against the tree as she peered up at him with sad, guilty and tear-filled eyes. “I’ll see you in E-English.”

Peter turned his back on her and tried not to run. He entered the school and headed straight for the cafeteria, where he knew Ned was going to be. He clenched his jaw and refused to let the dam break as he arrived at the loud cafeteria, headed toward his and Ned’s table purely relying on muscle memory.

“Hey, Penis!” Flash jeered somewhere to his right. “What’s your problem, nerd? Something on your mind? Gonna cry?”

Peter ignored him.

“Peter?” That was Ned.

Peter sat down at the table and stared at the dirty surface. For a long time, neither of them said a word. Peter was pretty sure Ned could figure out exactly what happened on his own from his behaviour alone, but that didn’t stop him from saying it out loud.

“She broke up with me.”

A beat of silence past before Ned’s hand gripped his beneath the table. Peter almost crumbled from the contact but managed to keep the emotion in as he squeezed his friend’s hand back.

“I’m sorry, man.” Ned said quietly. “Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Peter pondered on it for a moment, before he nodded.

Together, he and Ned left the cafeteria, both of them ignoring the mean shouts that yet again came from Flash’s table. As soon as they were out in the quiet hall, Peter could feel his resolve beginning to crack as the tears welled up in his eyes and threatened to fall.

They headed up the stairs towards one of the empty classrooms, one that never got used anymore. It was usually where only he and Ned went if they had something serious to talk about, which was mostly Spider-Man, or many worries to do with Michelle. Just like today.

Ned opened the door for him, and Peter stumbled inside with a whispered thanks. Once the door was closed and they were away from any prying eyes, the first tear dripped down his cheek. Ned’s hand now rested on his shoulder comfortingly.

“Did she say why?” Ned asked, tone careful and wary.

“She just doesn’t like me anymore.”

“ _Dude._ ” His friend muttered quietly. “That’s… not cool.”

Peter sighed shakily, and another tear streaked down his cheek. It took one look at Ned for his face to crumble, the emotion becoming too much at the pity displayed on his friend’s face. That’s what Betty’s looks had meant; she had known what Michelle was going to do.

Before he knew it, he was wrapped up in a tight hug. Peter silently cried, knowing it was probably ridiculous to be so torn up over a teenage relationship. As much as he told himself that it probably wasn’t going to last long anyways, he knewhe still had feelings for her. Despite all of his thoughts, his heart continued to break as he buried his face in Ned’s shoulder.

They remained in the empty classroom right up until last the beginning of period. Peter composed himself, made sure it hadn’t been obvious that he’d been crying, before they of them stumbled into English class almost fifteen minutes late. Peter spotted Michelle immediately, who sat in her usual spot with her head down and hand frantically sketching something, or someone, in her sketchbook. Peter couldn’t see what she was drawing, the girl’s arm obscuring her sketchbook.

“Boys.” Their teacher scolded them as they clambered into their seats. “The bells are in place for a reason.”

“Sorry miss.” Ned said as he sat down. Peter followed suit and took a deep breath once he was settled. He could feel Betty’s eyes boring into his skull from the other side of the room, but he refused to look at her. “It won’t happen again.”

“You said that last time, Leeds.” Their teacher’s tone made no way for any humour. She was genuinely angry with them. “Anyways, as I was saying-”

Peter tuned her out immediately.

He didn’t listen for the entire class. When the bell rang, he was more than happy to head out of the classroom and out of the school all together. After a parting hug with Ned, Peter made his usual route through Queens with a brief stop at Delmar’s. Mr. Delmar had looked at him weirdly, as if he noticed that Peter wasn’t himself, but didn’t comment and even took some money off of his order with a gentle smile.

Peter was meant to go out as Spider-Man that afternoon, but now he found he didn’t feel like it at all.

Eating his sandwich, Peter solemnly stepped onto the subway as music blasted in his ears. He didn’t look up at anyone for the entire ride home, not until he reached the apartment. Most of the ride had been a blur, he didn’t really remember getting off the subway or walking up the stairs.

“May?” Peter called out as he opened the door.

“I’m home, sweetie!” May called back, and Peter couldn’t begin to express how thankful he was that she was here. As he was toeing off his shoes, May walked over to him with a gentle smile and kissed the side of his head. “I have a later shift tonight, so I’ll be home for dinner. How was school?”

Peter looked up at her, and it took that one glance for his Aunt to realise something was wrong.

“Honey, are you okay?” She questioned, concern immediately covering her features.

“Um…” Peter muttered as his heart began to pound. “Michelle broke up with me.”

“What?” Aunt May gasped, then immediately wrapped him up in a tight hug. The tears came almost immediately, and all he could do was hide his face in May’s shoulder like he had done with Ned. He felt ridiculous for getting so worked up, but he couldn’t help but feel like he’d been lied to for the last few weeks, or however long Michelle had pretended to like him. “I’m so sorry, baby. What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Peter said, voice muffled by her shoulder.

“How about you have a shower to relax a little. I’ll order take out.” May said as she pulled away and cupped his cheeks. “I can stay home tonight-”

“No, it’s okay.” Peter shut the offer down immediately. “I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure? I can swap shifts with Michael; he’ll be more than happy to.” May wiped away his tears with her thumbs. “I mean it, Peter.”

“No.” Peter shook his head and sniffed. “I’ll be fine.”

May looked unsure but agreed to Peter’s relief. “Alright, then. Go have a shower, sweetheart. I’ll order.”

Peter did as he was told. May was right as usual, the shower helped to relax him, but it didn’t stop the overflow of emotions he was feeling. Honestly, he was embarrassed. Embarrassed he hadn’t noticed something was wrong sooner… did that make him a bad boyfriend? Was he a bad boyfriend for being completely oblivious?

With a disgruntled sigh, Peter got dressed in his pyjamas and headed into the living room. He laid down on the couch, head in May’s lap, her fingers carding through his curls as they waited for their take-out to come.

For the rest of the night he spent with May, he mostly moped on the couch and stared at the TV without really watching it. After she left for work, he moved to his room and curled up beneath the covers and tried his hardest to sleep. No matter how long he kept his eyes shut for, or how comfortable he was, he couldn’t manage to fall into the slumber he was so desperately craving.

All he could think about was the events of his day, and the nightmares he would most likely have if he did fall asleep. They had been horrible lately, mostly revolving around Toomes and the warehouse. Along with those factors, the stress of Midterms being so soon made him feel even worse.

So, he pulled out his laptop, and began to watch YouTube instead.

It was just shy of three in the morning when Peter got up from bed and moved over to his desk. He had just tried to sleep again, but like last time, he couldn’t let himself drift off.

Peter tried to revise instead. The more he read, the more his head began to hurt, and the tireder he became. Sometime around five, he fell asleep hunched over his desk, only to wake up an hour later to his morning alarm blasting throughout his room.

He felt like _shit._

After he checked his phone for a message he knew wouldn’t be there, Peter got up from his desk and winced at how badly his neck and back hurt. He stretched, then went about his usual routine and pushed his emotions to the back of his mind. Today, he’d go out as Spider-Man after school, since he’d skipped yesterday.

The route to school was nothing out of the ordinary. He kept his earbuds in as he pushed through other students to get to his locker, Ned already there waiting for him.

“Hey man.” Peter could barely hear him over the music. Quickly switching it off, he plastered a fake smile on his face. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” Peter looked away and grabbed his things from his locker.

“You look like shit.” _Wow, thanks, Ned._ “Did you sleep last night?”

“Yeah.” He did, just not that much, but Ned didn’t need to know that.

Ned looked at him sceptically, before they made their way to homeroom together. The rest of the day passed as normal, but with the added edge of sadness and tiredness following him around like a shadow. He hadn’t seen Michelle all day, right up until the final bell where he spotted the retreating backs of her and Betty headed towards the school’s exit.

Peter resisted the urge to kick the lockers and sighed instead.

“Hey Penis.”

As quietly as he could muster, Peter groaned.

“I heard you and the loser broke up.” Flash cackled beside him, and Peter kept his gaze locked forward as he slammed his locker shut. Jaw clenched, Peter turned to walk away, but a hand landed on his shoulder and pulled him back. Peter had felt it coming, of course, but as usual, he didn’t react. “What did you do, huh? Were you not good enough in bed?”

Peter narrowed his eyes, but his cheeks flushed in embarrassment either way.

That couldn’t have been the reason because they hadn’t ever…

“Oh my God, would you look at this!” Flash yelled in his face and Peter flinched back from the spray of spit that landed on his face. Several eyes turned their way, and Peter immediately hunched in on himself at the added attention. “Parker’s shit in bed!”

“Shut up, Flash.” Peter snapped and turned back around. “Leave me alone.”

“I’m surprised she’d even wantto sleep with you. Just so you know, no other girl would want to have sex with you.”

Peter kept walking, but Flash and his goons followed. “I said leave me alone.”

_Curse Ned for leaving early._

“You know what, you probably never even had sex. I could imagine you’re too much of a coward to even try. I bet Penis is still a virgin.”

Peter flushed again.

Eventually, when they didn’t get a reply, Flash dropped off to annoy another kid. Peter sighed in relief and practically booked it out the school, his heart pounding in his ears as he stumbled into his usual alleyway. After he made sure that there was no one around to see him, Peter moved behind the garbage bins and stripped.

Once he was glad in the suit, he hid his backpack and shot out a web.

“Got anything for me, Karen?”

“A robbery is occurring…”

The next few hours passed quickly. It wasn’t long before he could feel the fatigue taking its toll, but he ignored it all in favour of helping Queens civilians. At around six, he returned to the alley to grab his backpack and hauled himself back to the apartment. Before he entered, he quickly changed back so his neighbours wouldn’t see him in the suit.

The apartment was empty. Peter skipped dinner and holed himself up in his room, cramming for Midterms. None of the information was going into his brain, which made the stress build. It had been building for the last few weeks, and now he couldn’t feel any less prepared. Michelle breaking up with him had sent his world off kilter, as pathetic as that sounded.

What Flash said to him continued to haunt him as he hunched over his desk, rubbing his eyes and yawning constantly as he fought to stay awake. Maybe it had been the reason Michelle didn’t like him anymore, because they’d never done _it_. Had Peter let her down?

Honestly, Peter hadn’t even thought about sex. He didn’t _want_ to.

Did that make him a bad boyfriend?

Grimacing, Peter pushed away the thoughts with a shake of his head and tried to focus on his homework.

Eventually, at around twelve, he slumped into bed and got as comfortable as he possibly could. Now that he laid here, he felt wide awake, in comparison with a few minutes ago when he almost headbutted his desk.

Letting out a loud curse, Peter buried his face in his pillow and tried to force sleep to come.

It never did.

So, he grabbed his phone from his bedside table and scrolled through his social media apps.

This only entertained him for a little while before he groaned and tossed his phone across the bed in a fit of anger. He heard it bounce on the carpet, though he couldn’t care less.

It was almost four in the morning.

Peter stared up at the roof, and abruptly burst into tears. He didn’t know what triggered it, but he found himself swearing again as he brought the covers over his head to block out the streetlights. He was frustrated, because he was _exhausted_ , his girlfriend had dumped him, and he was going to fail his Midterms.

Unlike last night, Peter didn’t sleep. He was wide awake when his alarm began to sound annoyingly beside him.

Peter dragged himself out of bed and went about his routine. Shower, get dressed, pack bag, eat, leave apartment, walk to subway, enter school. He was glad May was fast asleep in her room after arriving sometime during his shower, because he was sure the woman would notice the ugly black bags underneath his eyes and pale skin.

It was Thursday. _Four days_ until Midterms start.

Peter was so _fucked._

He was late to homeroom. Ned fixed him with a concerned stare but didn’t say anything as the teacher did roll call. Anxiety vibrated around his body as he sat down for Physics, hands trembling, eyes beginning to droop. Peter rested his head on his arms as he waited for Ms. Warren to arrive, though didn’t close his eyes as he looked out the window. Ned was quiet beside him, as if he knew Peter didn’t want to talk.

Flash laughed at him when he walked past and made a gross action with his hands. Stomach churning, Peter sat up straight and kept his tired gaze firmly on the whiteboard. Flash muttered a disgusting statement under his breath as he passed by, one Peter didn’t want to think about.

The hour passed extremely quickly.

In Gym, Peter had a lapse of concentration, or maybe he had fallen asleep, because somehow, he ended up on the ground. The rope he’d just fallen from swung around in his vision, and he felt a little winded as he sat up on his elbows.

“Shit, Peter, are you okay?” Ned asked, hands hovering awkwardly above him. “Do you want to go to the nurse?”

Peter glared. “I’m fine, Ned. It wasn’t that bad.”

“You were pretty high up.” Ned commented, and slowly sat back. Coach Wilson was already approaching. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” Peter muttered and rubbed his right eye. “I slipped.”

“Parker.” Coach Wilson said, tone laced with concern. “Are you alright? Need the nurse?”

“No. I’m _fine_.” Peter stood up to prove his point. “I just slipped.”

Coach Wilson eyed him, before he sighed. “Alright. Back to it, boys.”

Peter felt someone’s eyes on him. He turned around just in time to see Michelle look away, and he couldn’t help the pained stab in his gut.

Not even fifteen minutes later, Peter tripped and fell during laps.

“Parker.” Coach Wilson exclaimed as he helped Peter up. The teen was a little dazed, extremely tired, his muscles screaming for rest. “You doing alright, kid? You’re looking pale. Go sit on the benches, take a break. You look like you need it.”

Peter did as he was told, muscles moving on autopilot. He slumped onto the bench and put his head in his hands.

_God._

“Hey Peter.” Peter looked up at the sound of Betty’s voice. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Peter repeated those same words and tried to keep the bite out of his tone. He didn’t do a good job at it. “Aren’t you supposed to be doing laps?”

Betty’s eyes narrowed a little in displeasure. “I was just asking. What’s wrong with you?”

Peter narrowed his right back. “Nothing. What’s it to you?”

“You look dead.” Betty was blunt, just like Ned. “You’ve got to understand that MJ-”

“I’m sorry, Betty, but I don’t want to hear it.” Peter shook his head and broke the eye contact. He didn’t want to hear what Betty had to say. “Can you just leave me alone?”

“Fine. I was just trying to help” Betty snapped. Peter heard her retreating footsteps, then scoffed humourlessly.

To distract himself from the sounds of the gym class echoing around the large space, Peter pulled out his phone and played some mindless game for the remainder of class. He ignored Flash’s taunts in the locker room and left with Ned, honestly feeling like a zombie as he navigated the halls. His back was starting to hurt from when he fell from the ropes.

In what felt like minutes, the day was over, and he was back in the apartment.

May was out, but not at work, this time with a friend, which meant that Peter had the apartment all to himself yet again. He was kind of glad that she hadn’t seen how horrible he looked, how pathetic he looked. How bloodshot his eyes were becoming. Peter probably wouldn’t even see her until late tomorrow night, since he was going to the Compound.

_Fuck. He was going to the Compound._

Dread filled his system. He’d have to cancel; he couldn’t let Tony see him like this. The man would know immediately that something was wrong, just like May. In that weird, parental, psychic-way, the man would know.

But he didn’t want to cancel. Friday’s were more often than not, the highlight of his week.

Grumbling, Peter laid down in bed the moment he entered his room and shut his eyes.

A moment later, he opened them again and glared at the roof with teary eyes.

Eventually, after several more failed attempts at sleep, Peter yet again dragged himself out of bed and over to his desk instead. For the next few hours, Peter crammed, and crammed, and crammed. None of it was making sense anymore, and most of the words were obscured by the tears that kept welling in his eyes. He wasn’t even reading anymore, just staring at the blurry words on the pages of his textbook and pretended that he was doing something right.

Before he knew it, he was waking up. Without even realising that he’d fallen asleep once again at his desk, Peter looked at his watch with bleary eyes. It was only one in the morning, and the last time Peter remembered was about twelve thirty.

Disgruntled, Peter tore across his room and yanked his suit out of his bag. Ignoring May’s rules about not going out after eleven, Peter suited up and promptly dropped out of his window. The sound of wind in his ears was almost comforting as he soared through Queens, eventually becoming perched on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city.

“So, Karen.” Peter began as he overlooked the city. “Got anything for me?”

“I’m aware that you are out past curfew, Peter.” Was Karen’s reply. “As per protocol, I will have to alert Mr. Stark that the Spider-Man suit is functioning after curfew.”

“What? No-” Peter blurted. “Give me something to do!”

“Mr. Stark has received the alert.” Karen sounded guilty. “Currently, there is no crime to report.”

“What?” Peter snapped almost angrily. He groaned and buried his face in his hands, the frustration beginning to build when he wasn’t given a distraction. His eyes hurt so bad from the period of time they had been open without rest, and the half an hour nap he’d had did nothing to help the exhaustion. “There has to be something.”

“Mr. Stark requests that he be put through.”

“End it.” Peter said without thinking.

“I’m sorry, as per protocol-”

“Fine!” Peter snapped. “Put him through.”

A moment later, Tony’s voice filtered through the suit.

“Good morning.” Tony’s tone was surprisingly filled with _concern._ “Is there any particular reason why you’re on the top of the tallest building in Queens at one in the morning? Are you okay, buddy?”

Peter paled with the realisation of what Tony implied.

“What-” Peter spluttered. “No, no, Mr. Stark, it’s not like that.”

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m getting in a suit now.” _Shit, shit, shit._ “Does May know you’re out?”

“No, she doesn’t.” Peter replied, then mentally kicked himself. “Uh- she’s at home. I’m just- it’s not like that, Mr. Stark, I promise. I just- I-”

Peter was doing a horrible job of convincing his mentor he wasn’t going to _jump._ That hadn’t been his intention at all.

“What are you doing out so late, Peter?” Tony questioned, and the sounds of the Iron Man suit could be heard in the background. “You already know you’re going to be grounded.”

Peter sighed in defeat and slumped back. “I know.”

“So, tell me.” Tony’s tone was softer now. “Something on your mind?”

“I’m not going to jump, Mr. Stark.” Peter muttered. “I just needed a spot to rest so I could talk to Karen.”

“Alright. I believe you. I’m still coming, though.”

“Okay.”

Around five minutes later, Peter saw the suit approaching. He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his chin against them. He was so screwed when May found out he left after curfew. Shit, he was a _mess_.

Tony landed on the building with a thud and flipped up his faceplate immediately.

“Hey Pete.” The man began. Peter didn’t remove his mask. “Care to explain why you’re still up?”

“Why are you still up?” Peter questioned. Tony narrowed his eyes.

“Nuh-uh, don’t direct it back on me, kid. You know I hardly sleep.” Tony moved closer and knelt down right in front of Peter, effectively sitting between Peter and the edge of the building. Peter suddenly felt incredibly guilty for making his mentor seem so scared… what had he been thinking going out here so late? “No one can see us up here, kiddo. How about you take the mask off so I can see you?”

Peter shook his head. “I don’t want to take the risk.”

_I don’t want you to see me like this._

Tony frowned. “Alright. What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing. I just couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, I’ll- I’ll go home.” Peter stood, and Tony did too. “I’m sorry. I d-didn’t mean to scare you.”

Tony’s expression softened completely. “I know you didn’t. It’s okay, buddy. I’m not mad, I promise. Let’s just get you home.”

“I can get home myself-”

Tony was already shaking his head. “I’m coming with you. Up you get.”

Peter sighed in defeat. Together, he and Tony headed back toward the apartment. Peter didn’t miss the way Tony hovered nearby him when he slung off of the building, which made him feel even more guilty for going up there in the first place.

Upon arrival, they landed around the back of the building rather than the front. Peter’s head hung low, mask still on his face as Tony led him through the apartment building. When they reached his door, the billionaire raised his fist and knocked just loud enough for May to hear. Peter was constantly paranoid one of his neighbours would come out and see him in the suit.

Somehow, May heard the knocks, and she opened the door. Her eyes when wide when she saw Peter.

“Peter?” She exclaimed, an angry frown appearing on her face. “Get inside.”

Both of them stepped inside. Peter kept the mask on and tried to make a break for his room, but Tony caught his arm and stopped him from doing so.

“Would someone tell me what the hell is going on?”

“I’m s-sorry.” Peter stammered, eyes quickly filling. He didn’t even know what he was crying about this time. It could be Michelle, the stress of Midterms, the fact that Tony thought he wanted to jump or that he was about to get grounded. Maybe it was all of those reasons, and his obvious lack of sleep. “I c-couldn’t sleep, so I thought I could y’know… go out.”

“Are you serious, Peter?” May hissed, then sighed. “You know what this means.”

“I know.” Peter’s shoulders slumped with both guilt and exhaustion. Another thing he’d fucked up. “I’m sorry.”

_No lab tomorrow, then._

Even though he’d been planning on cancelling, it made him sadder than he wanted to admit.

“You’re grounded for a week.” Peter was a little surprised. Usually, it would be two or more. When he looked up, he saw the sympathetic gaze on his Aunt’s face. “But you can still go to Tony’s tomorrow.”

“I can?” Peter exclaimed. He looked to Tony, who just nodded in affirmation. “Thank you!”

“Off to bed.” May smiled, but it seemed forced. Peter could easily see the worry lines on her face. He felt horrible for being the one to cause them. “I need to talk to Tony.”

“Okay.” Peter muttered, then turned to Tony. “I’m sorry, Mr. Stark.”

Tony gave him a sad smile. “I know. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

With that, Peter rushed into his room. The moment he was in there, the tears spilled over and he yanked his mask off his face. He stripped himself of the suit and put on a plain shirt, then hopped into bed and laid with his back to the door. Once he was settled, he focused on listening to May and Tony’s conversation.

 _“-going through a bit of a hard time.”_ May was in the middle of saying. _“I don’t think he would want me to tell you, so I’ll let him tell you on his own. That’s why I wasn’t as hard on him as I usually would be.”_

 _“Okay.”_ Was Tony’s response. _“Is there anything I can do to help?”_

 _“Just act like you normally would around him, I’m sure he’ll open up.”_ May sounded like she was smiling. “He trusts you with a lot of things. Thanks for bringing him back tonight.”

_“Of course. No need to thank me.”_

Peter tuned out the rest of the conversation and brought the covers up to his chin. To no surprise, he couldn’t get to sleep again.

When he heard footsteps coming towards his room, he went rigid and closed his eyes. He buried his face into the duvet so he couldn’t be seen and tried to keep his breaths as steady as possible when the door opened. May, he could tell by her gentle steps, padded into the room and stood by his bed. A moment later, a gentle hand carded through his hair.

Then, about a minute or so later, she left. She must’ve thought he was asleep.

For the rest of the night, Peter didn’t go on his phone or laptop or study for his exams. He just laid there, staring at the wall, wondering if he’d get to sleep ever again.

In fact, he did end up falling asleep. But once again, it was only around half an hour before his alarm was jolting him back into reality.

His morning went the same as all the others. May was gone, and Peter walked to school on autopilot.

However, unlike the past two days, the first people he saw was Michelle and Betty. They both looked at him at the same time, and in sync, their faces morphed into worry. Peter knew why – he’d seen himself in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were so dark, so prominent. His eyes had become even more bloodshot than usual. Peter had no idea how he was functioning.

All of this over a _breakup._

Deep down, Peter knew there were a lot of factors that had built up to this. Michelle breaking up with him had just been the icing on the cake.

“Peter?” Michelle said as he walked past, and Peter stopped and looked at her. “Are you… are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Peter smiled. It was fake. “See you in class.”

With that, turned and he left.

Peter listened to their conversation as he walked away.

_“I don’t think he’s sleeping, Betty.”_

_“Don’t blame yourself. He’ll get over it.”_

Peter didn’t listen to anymore. Of course, Flash was the next person he saw – well, bumped into, next.

“Watch where you’re going, nerd.” Flash sneered and shoved him. Peter stumbled and knocked into the lockers; his muscles extremely fatigued from the stunt he pulled the previous night. He never regretted going out as Spider-Man more than he did in this moment.

Peter gathered himself and continued to walk without giving a shred of his attention to Flash.

“Man.” Ned openly gaped at him when Peter met him at his locker. “You should go home.”

“Why?” Peter mumbled. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are.”

Peter just shook his head and started walking.

Ned was right.

_He wasn’t fine._

By the end of the day, Peter was sure he wasn’t going to last much longer. Eventually, he was going to break, and the lack of sleep would become too much for his body to handle.

Still, he hopped into Happy’s car and greeted the man as usual. However, instead of telling the man about his day like he usually would, he settled for leaning against the cool window in an attempt to ease the dull headache.

“You doing alright back there, kid?” Happy asked after a while. “You’re awfully quiet back there.”

“Yeah, I’m okay, Happy.” Peter tried to smile, but he knew it didn’t do the job.

“Are you feeling sick?” Happy asked. “If you are… let me know if I need to stop.”

“Nah, I’m fine. I feel fine.” Those words were a broken record at this point.

“Try tell that to Tony.” Silence dragged on after those words. Peter knew Happy was right, there was no way he could hide the hideous bags under his eyes from his mentor. Tony already knew there was something wrong. If he found out that a breakup had caused this meltdown of sorts and inability to fall asleep… shit, the man would think he was stupid. “He won’t take I’m finefor an answer.”

Peter grimaced. “Is it okay if I sleep for a bit?”

“Yeah, go ahead. It looks like you need it.”

Peter shut his eyes for the entire ride to the Compound. He’d mostly said it because he wanted Happy to stop asking him questions. Peter knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, especially in a moving car. Even on a good day, he had trouble falling asleep in places that weren’t beds.

Peter sighed when they arrived at the Compound.

He was just so _tired._

-

To say that Tony was worried was an enormous understatement.

Nothing could have prepared him for the fear he felt when Karen alerted him that Peter was in the suit past one in the morning. Not only that, but on the tallest building in the city. His mind had immediately gone to the darkest possible solution, and even though Tony hadn’t been able to see the kid’s face because he refused to take the mask off for some odd reason, he could see how tense the teen’s shoulders were as they spoke.

That was exactly why he stayed awake the rest of the night, paranoid as he worked on endless projects in the lab. Peter seemed sincere when he said he wasn’t going to jump, but the fear was always there. Tony had no idea why Peter wouldn’t want to take the mask off when he was inside the safety of his own apartment.

It meant he was hiding something.

May had told him the kid wasn’t doing too good. Tony had thought about prying the information out of her, but he knew that wasn’t right. If Peter wanted him to know, the boy would tell him. At least, he hoped. Even though he hadn’t been able to see Peter’s face, he could tell that there was something wrong by both his body language and the tone of his voice.

So, when Peter walked into the lab that afternoon, Tony had to do a double take.

He tried not to make it too obvious as he watched the usually happy, bubbly and nerdy teenager almost stumble into the lab.

Peter looked dead on his feet.

Playing it safe in case he scared the boy away, Tony forced a smile onto his face as he greeted his kid. “Hey Underoos. How was school?”

“Hey Mr. Stark.” Peter replied without his usual enthusiasm. He didn’t even look at him. Tony watched the boy sit down at his desk and start organising his web fluid supplies. “School was fine.”

Peter didn’t say anything else or look at him, so Tony openly stared. The first thing he noticed was the pale skin and the very obvious bags under the boy’s eyes. His hands were trembling where they picked things up, and it looked like Peter was seconds away from either bursting into tears or flipping the table over in anger. This was a completely different side of his kid; one he had never seen before.

Tony wheeled his chair over to Peter’s desk and stopped on the opposite side. Peter jumped, then looked up at him, and Tony found himself trying hard not to grimace at the redness surrounding the kid’s irises. Peter’s eyes were so bloodshot, and they looked like his own eyes after he went days without sleep.

It was too similar. Far too similar.

“What’re you working on?” Tony began. Peter looked at him for another moment before he dropped his gaze to his desk.

“Web fluid.” Peter muttered and hid his shaking hand. “I’m nearly out."

“Good thing you have a week off Spider-Man, hm?” Tony said cautiously. Peter tensed, then sighed, then nodded in defeat. “Alright, kiddo, I don’t know what else to do right now. You look dead on your feet. When was the last time you slept?”

“Last night.” Peter was lying. It was clear. “I’m fine, Mr. Stark.”

“No, you’re not.” Tony reached out and gently placed a finger under Peter’s chin. Slowly, he lifted Peter’s head, so the boy was looking at him. “May told me you’re going through a tough time. Do you want to talk about it?”

_Please talk about it, please talk about it, please talk about it._

Tony waited. Peter seemed to think it over, tired eyes drooping for just a second. Tony’s heart cracked as he really looked at the exhausted child sitting in front of him, wondering what could have possibly happened in the last week for it to take such a toll. This time last week, Peter had been excitedly telling him about the next date he was planning for his girlfriend.

Then, completely out of the blue, Peter pulled away and abruptly choked on a sob. Tony paused for an entire ten seconds, a little shocked at the outburst, and just watched as Peter buried his face in his hands.

“Oh, buddy.” Tony cooed quietly and placed a cautious hand on Peter’s shoulder. “What’s bothering you, huh?”

“’M sorry.” Peter sniffed. “I don’t know what’s w-wrong with me.”

“You don’t need to apologise.” Tony shook his head and rubbed Peter’s shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Whatever it is, there’s nothing wrong. It’s okay, kiddo.”

“It’s stupid.” Peter choked on another sob, then went to stand. “’M sorry, I’ll go h-”

“Peter.” Tony gently prevented Peter from standing. “You can talk to me. You know that.”

Peter collapsed back into the seat. The poor kid looked like a mess.

“M-MJ broke up with m-me.” Peter rushed out all at once, then took in a huge, but sharp, breath. “My Midterms a-are n-next week, and I can’t s-sleep, and F-Flash won’t leave me alone!”

Tony took a few moments to process.

 _Shit._ Peter’s girlfriend had broken up with him.

Not what he’d been expecting, but it was obvious it had torn Peter up a lot.

“What happened with MJ?” He asked and made sure to keep his tone as soft as possible. He decided to tackle one admission at a time.

“I d-don’t know!” Peter almost yelled. “She just s-said she didn’t like m-me anymore.”

Tony wanted to scream. He’d met Michelle once or twice, she seemed like a very self-assured but kind and genuine girl. He could tell that Peter liked her a lot, especially right now. He couldn’t help but feel another crack appear in his heart as he watched his kid cry.

Suddenly, a protective feeling washed over him. He felt a small piece of hatred directed towards Michelle for hurting Peter, something he could determine as paternal boiling deep in his gut. Whatever had happened between them, it had obviously hurt Peter a lot. He wouldn’t now, but eventually, he’d get Peter to tell him the whole story.

“What has… _Flash_ being saying to you.” Tony spat the cretin’s name out like acid.

“Just s-stuff about me ‘n MJ.” Peter whispered. “Bad stuff.”

Bad stuff. Bad stuff could mean _plenty_ of different things.

Tony decided to ask Peter later, when the boy was well rested and coherent.

“When was the last time you slept?” Was his next question. He didn’t miss Peter’s wince. “Pete?”

“Last night, but o-only half an h-hour.” Peter sobbed again. “It’s been the s-same n-nearly all week. E-even when I d-do sleep, I’m s-scared of the nightmares.”

Crack number three stabbed through Tony’s heart.

Right now, Peter reminded him too much of himself. Even right now, had been awake for over twenty-four hours. It seemed that right now, Peter had been awake for longer. It was not a comforting thought.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

Peter shook his head. “May’s a-at work. I d-don’t wanna be a-alone anymore.”

Tony clenched his jaw and tried not to combust right there. “That’s fine, Bambi, that’s completely fine. How about this?”

Peter slowly looked up, obviously trying to keep his tears in. Tony admired the kid’s resilience.

“I’m going to order us some take out and we’re going to watch a movie. You can stay the night; I’ll call May to let her know. She’ll be fine with it.” Tony knew, because they’d spoken about it last night. Well, that morning, really. Tony had been planning on asking Peter if he wanted to stay overnight anyways. “We’ll just take it easy, yeah?”

“Okay.” Peter whispered; voice timid. “Sorry. I k-know crying over a b-breakup is stupid.”

Tony shook his head. “It’s not stupid, Peter. Really.”

Peter didn’t seem too sure of that.

Tony stood up and moved around Peter’s desk. Then, he opened one arm, and to his surprise Peter immediately stood and melted into his side. Together, they headed towards the lift with Tony’s quiet request to FRIDAY to shut the lab down for the night.

The lift ascent was mostly quiet. Peter sniffed every now and then and pressed closer, but other than that, there was no other noise. Tony just rubbed his kid’s arm, heart hurting for him, a plan already formulated in his head.

He led Peter into his private floor and towards his bedroom. Peter didn’t question it, and obeyed Tony when he said to sit on the bed. Tony looked at the boy for a long moment and wished he could wipe away the bags under his eyes. Tony had never seen Peter so tired before.

Tony tore his gaze away and ventured into his closet. He pulled out an old MIT hoodie of his, then a _very_ old teddy bear. He looked at the stupid thing for a long moment, various memories coming back to him as he ran his thumb over the fur. Jarvis’, the real Jarvis’, face floated through his mind as he looked down at him.

He walked back into the bedroom with items in hand. Peter looked up at him with sad eyes, and Tony had to force a smile onto his face to hide how concerned he really was. Peter probably saw right through him anyways.

“Here.” Tony handed Peter the hoodie. “Put that on.”

God, Tony hoped this worked. It always helped him as a kid.

Peter looked at the hoodie, then nodded.

“Hey FRIDAY.” Tony called and turned his back to Peter to give the kid some privacy. “Can you order pizza? You know which one.”

“Of course, Boss.”

“Thanks baby girl.”

“D-done.” Tony turned around, and his heart swelled with both pain andlove.

Peter looked _tiny_ in Tony’s MIT hoodie.

It was in this very moment that Tony knew he thought of this kid as _his_.

Tony walked around to the side of the bed and pulled the covers back, the bear still in his hand. Peter watched him, and Tony tried to appear nonchalant as he hopped into bed like it was no big deal. Then, he opened the other side as an invitation for Peter to hop in too.

The teen hesitated, before he got off the edge of the bed and walked around to the other side. Peter frantically wiped his eyes, a tell-tale sign that he was really struggling to stay awake. Tony wanted to get the kid fed, but he had a pretty strong feeling that the pizza wouldn’t make it to the Compound in time. 

Without an ounce of hesitation, Tony brought Peter into his arms. It didn’t take long for the boy to melt into Tony’s hold, and with a small sniff, the tears began again. It was a sad sight, Peter exhausted and crying his eyes out. If he was honest, he couldn’t believe that Peter had stuck it out for so long. Tony may act like it, but he wasn’t completely stupid. He knew teenagers needed more sleep than adults.

Tony offered the bear to Peter. He didn’t even need to say anything to coax Peter too, because a shaking hand took the bear from Tony and pulled it to his chest.

Tony kept one arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulder and used the other to card through his kid’s hair.

“Jarvis used to do this for me, y’know.” Tony began quietly. Peter shifted closer and rested his head on Tony’s chest, right above his heart. “I wasn’t a good kid. Howard didn’t like that, which often led me to end up in tears more often than not.”

“I t-thought J-Jarvis was an AI.” Peter whispered.

Tony laughed a little. “He was named after the real Jarvis. My family’s butler.”

“Oh.”

“Jarvis was more of a father figure to me than my Dad.” Tony continued. “He’d give me one of his shirts and my bear. This bear. Then he’d look after me like I’m looking after you right now, and every time I’d end up falling asleep without fail.”

Tony missed Jarvis. The real Jarvis.

Peter sniffed again but didn’t say anything. So, Tony went on with another story.

“I cried when Pepper broke up with me.” Peter tensed. “It wasn’t pretty. Breakups aren’t pretty. But we get through it, just like you will.”

“It’s s-stupid.”

“What is?”

“It wasn’t g-going to last anyways. I d-don’t know w-why it a-affects me so much.”

Tony continued to card his hand through Peter’s hair as he spoke. “You didn’t know that. Many people end up marrying their high school sweethearts. It’s okay to be upset about it, kid. It is your first breakup, isn’t it?”

At Peter’s nod, Tony wished he could take all the pain away.

“It’ll be okay with time.” Tony pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. “Got any movie preferences?”

“Um.” Peter paused. “Lady and the Tramp? O-original version.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

FRIDAY didn’t need to be told to turn on the movie. The TV across from Tony’s bed turned on and switched to play Lady and the Tramp, and in the meantime, Tony shifted so he was in a comfortable position. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

As the movie progressed, Tony continued to run his hand through Peter’s hair, trying to lull the boy to sleep. The pizza came about halfway through, Rhodey brought it in for them. He took one look at Peter and knew he shouldn’t say anything, and only gave Tony a tiny smile before he shut the door behind him. Peter, as much as Tony knew the boy loved Rhodey, didn’t even acknowledge the man’s presence.

After food and almost forty minutes later, Jarvis’ tactics seemed to be working on Peter just like it had on Tony all those years ago. Tony discreetly watched as Peter’s eyes began to droop and stay closed for longer periods of time. Peter had a vice grip on the bear and Tony, which began to loosen up as he drifted into sleep.

Another ten minutes passed; Peter’s breath evened out. Tony pressed another kiss to the boy’s forehead when he was sure Peter had fallen asleep and hoped that it would last. Peter desperately needed the rest.

Tony just sat there observing Peter for a while, until he began to feel his own exhaustion creep up on him. Maybe a little sleep wouldn’t hurt him, either. He knew FRIDAY would wake him up if Peter began to stir or have a nightmare.

He had FRIDAY turn off the movie, and carefully, he moved so he was fully lying down. Peter didn’t even flinch from the movement, which he was grateful for. He’d never forgive himself if he woke Peter up so soon.

So, for the first time in his twenty-four-hour period of being awake, Tony felt himself begin to drift off too.

The last thought he had before he fell asleep was one that would carry out through the next chapter of Tony’s life.

_He loved his kid so damn much._

**Author's Note:**

> ned is an amazing friend. i need a ned in my life, honestly. i adore him.
> 
> any kind of feedback is very much appreciated!
> 
> thank you for reading as always <3


End file.
